Really curious to see whats going to happen next

Maybe he will turn to alcohol to numb his feelings...

Huh

Wuuuut?

So I guess there is where it started.

These are the moments (of which there are many) where we really see who Cooper is. I'm not sure I'll ever understand why people are rooting for him and Andy to get together.

my guess is pity or just hes hot, but im with you on this, cooper isnt a good guy and im sure he'll continue being the same guy until he dies :\

Agreed.

Nah, I'm on team Dad dog all the way!

woohoo I ship it so hard my pants hurt XD

What does that mean exactly? I'm confused.

I think he's especially hurt because he has a crush on Andy. Even though he's in denial, it really hurts when someone you like teases you. He's moody and melodramatic because deep down he hates himself. Once Cooper accepts himself I'm sure he'll develop much more.

I get where you're coming from, but I'm also sympathetic to people who read this as we keep getting a distorted picture of Coop when he is still confused and full of resentment. That doesn't mean on I'm on "Team Coop," or whatever, just that I think he's got a lot of room to grow in The Internship.

That's a reasonable point, and I don't hate Cooper, quite the opposite, I sort of pity him. I would like to see how he grows as a character, because I trust Jackaloo's writing ability. That said, Cooper has too much angst, rage and self-loathing to suddenly be a good partner for anyone. I just would hate for Andy to settle, especially when he has what appears to be a healthy, positive relationship with Waldren.

I have a sinking feeling that dear old boss dog is gonna be cast as a bad guy. Like, I have a sort of feeling that Cooper and Andy are going to end up together in the comic. Cooper has constantly been portrayed as someone who hated himself, doubts himself, and who Jackaloo said on patreon identifies with the most because of his struggles. I think this unfortunately will be a story where Cooper and Andy get together and grow as people. Which yay for people who like that, but I've really not liked Cooper. About a two thirds of people seem to love Cooper, and of the third that don't want him with Andy - half of those really dislike him, and the others are sympathetic. I feel like in order to win over the latter two groups, Emery is going to have to be a bad guy.

I kinda see it as people are looking between Emery and Cooper, and so if you make Emery the bad guy it's like people have to default to Cooper and then they get a happy ending. Like I worry the story is going to pull out this dichotomy of who is better for Andy - and Cooper has done some pretty awful stuff, so to get everyone on board Emery will just have to be worse (worried about this because the first page of chapter 2 where people think Emery is talking to some piece on the side via a phonecall for a hookup or something?). I'm hoping it doesn't end up that way because I feel that while admitting and growing is good for Cooper, it'd be a big backslide for Andy to just accept that all that past shit was okay when he's grown past it.

I trust Jackaloo to write it well, but I have this sort of nagging feeling that this comic is about Cooper and Andy and how they get together, and this is kinda the journey for both of them to get there. Which again, Cooper did get dealt a shit hand and I want to see him as a character accept fault and get better. But him being "rewarded" just by admitting it (despite being a huge asshole to Andy constantly through childhood and even now into adulthood like sexually assaulting him) just feels like it'd take away so much from Andy. I don't think Emery is a perfect match for Andy - I think he was a very good first partner for Andy to show him it's okay to be gay and be on top and be accepted and loved - and I don't see them getting together. But Cooper, aaahh. I agree with you that I'm sympathetic and I totally understand why so many people can identify with parts of him but he's just been such a shit I really don't want to see that sort of thing rewarded like "oh but I was a good person all along and I'm sorry and now we're gonna live happily ever after."

I'm not sure I see how waldren can be made the bad guy without it coming totally out of left-field and feeling out of character. I think if they don't end up together it will be something more complicated that doesn't paint either waldren or andy in too much of a negative light. Personally with all their baggage I really don't think coop and andy would be a very healthy relationship, I do hope coop gets things together and learns to accept himself and be happy but I don't think it should be with andy.

Agreed. We can surmise all day, but instead we should just go off the information we've been provided. Waldren has been nothing but open, honest, kind and emotionally available to Andy. There's no reason to think he would suddenly 'be a bad guy.' That's as weird as Coop suddenly being a sweet, compassionate, accepting boyfriend. I'm biased, admittedly, wanting very much for Andy and daddy dog to end up together and Coop to be alone while he figures himself out. I could certainly see Waldren not wanting more than a sexual relationship, which causes friction as Andy wants more, or maybe he just isn't comfortable being public with a gay relationship, who knows? And that's just IF he doesn't want to be with Andy. Time (and Jackaloo) will tell.

IDK, he kind of struck me as a creepy old dude the way he approached Andy to hire him for the internship, and though he didn't force Andy to do anything with him, I really doubt that he's interested in forming any type of meaningful relationship with him. I think what is going to happen isn't so much that Waldren will be a "bad guy", so much that Andy will try to lean on him for emotional support in some way and find that Waldren isn't capable or interested, honestly, in providing it. He's an adult with an ex wife and kids, he's not interested in getting serious with a young guy and we saw shadows of this at the end of the last chapter.

The main thing is he's probably not looking to settle down with someone and is happy with boytoys that come his way. Andy's a romantic, and Waldren's just looking for a good time.

i really see the valid points there, cooper was raised to think that being gay is wrong and that they were nothing but weak people, whereas he also sees the other side of the spectrum how he was really hurt by his father and the aspect of losing him in senior year made him reevaluate his life. but still holding onto lasting ideals he cant press forward because of his decisons and his prospects of living in his own reality, that he can fake straight but wants to be happy. perhaps he is in love with andy and things transpire, but personally, i would rather see this end much like Thegoldenweek, where the characters went seperate ways recap in life in the future and move on depsite how the story transcends diving into realism and breaking apart the societal boundaries, of course i dont know how this might go about, but i just wish for the best of all the characters, i dont really ship andy and coop but in the long run, id prefer for them to at least mend their friendship if nothing else

I completely agree with the "suddenly" part of your comment. We've been getting a ton of Cooper backstory here, which is awesome, but hopefully The Internship will have enough space for there to be multiple character beats and have him grow, fuck up, grow again, etc.

And with that being said, is it just me or is Andy kind of a cipher of a character? We don't really know much about him other than he seems sweet, kind of nerdy, diligent, and very supportive, but -- it seems like all the debate isn't about which one he will choose (because we have little idea what he cares about) but about which one DESERVES him. And that seems a little different than maybe a standard love triangle story? I don't know.

I wouldn't mind seeing that too from Coop. So far it's been what? Fuck up, fuck up, fuck up, one nice flashback where he was actual friends to Andy for part of a debate class then back to fuck up fuck up? And I think Andy is quite well fleshed-out as we have him. He wants to be happy, he's friendly, well-adjusted, figuring out what he wants in a relationship. He's a great everyman, there's certainly no reason to not want him to be happy. I don't think he needs anything crazy or dramatic to happen to him, as that's just external development, although ofc it WILL be happening thx to Coop sooner or later. (My guess is sooner) But honestly I shouldn't even be commenting here as I just want to see more Waldren so any opinion I have is skewed in his favor.

> "I don't think he needs anything
> crazy or dramatic to happen to him"

That's exactly my point about Andy, that his character arc seems flat right now. Like, the initial conflict in The Internship seemed to be Andy getting out of his shell/comfort zone based on first this pseudo-rivalry bet with Cooper and then Emery's mentorship. And Vol 1 did that well, but Summer's Gone has given us a potentially very different Andy--the one who talks people through panic attacks and dances confidently in clubs and tells embarrassing stories to people he's just getting to know. We know so much about Cooper's struggles at this point that it seems like he should be the hinge of the love triangle just based on depth of character, at least to me. But there's a lot to be written, of course. All I'm saying is, Andy not having a clear internal conflict makes it easy for us to project our own motivations into the story. Which you could argue is good for emotional investment, but for me it also lowers the stakes somewhat.

We haven't seen any real indication that Andy himself is signifiantly conflicted beyond having an old friendship falling apart. We even know more about Waldren's conflict and motivations than Andy's, in a way.

I guess my bottom line is, I feel like Andy will be basically fine no matter what happens in the story, which means he has little at stake right now.

I think that his reaction here is still a continuation of his "thousand yard stare" in the last page. In that stare, I felt the same kinds of emotions I felt when my social anxiety combined with a fear that people had discovered my interest in guys before I was ready to openly admit it to anyone.
So like, I think he is still freaking out over that comment Chelsea made implying he had a thing for Andy and is desperately trying to hide the fact that he is freaking out.

Because he can change. People can see the truth of their wrongdoings and change themselves.

For example, there was once a guy whose face was covered in Nazi and white power tattoos. He saw the error of his ways, and spent god knows how much money going through months of extremely painful procedures to get them all removed.

Call me naive, but I personally think that there are very few people in the world who are truly evil or truly assholes. In my opinion, a truly bad person does what they do, only for their own benifit knowing, full well that it's wrong, and yet not caring about how they are harming others. Cooper is not one of these people. He's not a bad person, he's just confused and misguided.

I guess the other side of that coin must be then, plenty of people don't change, or can't, or are unwilling. And your nazi example is the exception, not the rule.

And in my own experiences, there are plenty of assholes out there, just like Cooper, and they are best avoided. And I completely disagree. When you're rude to people, dismissive, sexually assault them (as Coop did in the beginning of this story) and loathe them because of how you hate yourself, yeah, it does make one a bad person. At the very least, a horrible person to spend time with, misery loving company and all that.

What I'm not saying is that Coop can't change, clearly some sort of large-scale change is in the works for him, otherwise why focus in on him so much. I am curious to see what it will be. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds, and how he comes through it, but in the meantime, I haven't seen more than an ounce of reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. Just my opinion.

Waitwaitwait, what!?! "Sexually assault!?!" The hell are you talking about?!

Just talkin' 'bout your boy, Coop. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20484657/

Oh right, I forgot.

I agreed with you on this. He has no right to be bitching about other people life even if his life is a bitch.

Cooper can't get out of his head what Chelsea had said earlier.

"A drunk mind speaks sober heart."

She pretty much called him out in a teasing manner and it really got to Coop.

i just binge read this whole thing in ten minutes. i need more, nao.

I did too

He is floating down denial. Y'know, that river that ain't just in Egypt.

You know, rereading this page it actually makes me wonder of Andy is gay. As far as I know, we were never explicitly told (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that Andy is only into guys. It's said he is when he was younger by Cooper's shitty friends. It's said Andy is a virgin (by Coop, but he could be incorrect), so I wonder if Andy is into women, too, after his comment. I mean, I'm a straight lady and have had crushes on women, but this just makes me wonder a bit if Andy might like women, as well.

This comic has been good about not defining sexualities, but I'm just curious! Makes me think

Good point.
Though, I'm gay (yes, I'm sure) but women have an undeniable allure for me in very specific circumstances. Even had crushes on them. My point is that it's possible to be both gay and like females to some degree.
In Andy's case, it's fair to say that he's having homosexual experiences but you're right - he's not explicitly stated it so far.

Oh for sure - like I said I'm straight and into guys but there's some women where it's been like hot damn they are fine and I have a bit of a crush on them. So it's totally fair that Andy could be in the same group that you and I are in (where we're strictly into one sex but can still have crushes), but it made me wonder since no official labels have ever been put on either Andy or Cooper.

I definitely agree that both Andy and Cooper are into guys - I'm just unsure whether both are bi. There's been some discussion on Cooper (he likes Andy but has slept with Chelsea, so it could be she's his beard/attempt to be in the kind of relationship he's supposed to be in, or he likes men and women and just likes Andy more), but this just made me muse a bit about Andy! We've all assumed that he's 100% for guys, but just makes me curious~

Totes. I'd never thought of that angle before.

Oh no, trust me, he's gay.

I mean, I'm leaning that way. But it's not like bisexuality doesn't exist...

Yyyep. Who's not been there.

Remember gentlemen, this is why we say "bros before hoes".

Man, given their backgrounds, I've realized Coop and Andy aren't compatible... like, at all. There was a glimmer of hope at first, but not anymore.

Andy is too free spirited and goofy, while Coop is all sensitive and withdrawn. A consequence from coming from two different walks of life, I think.

Seen couples like this IRL waaaaay too many times, in both straight and gay couples.

Maybe that's why Coop is infatuated with Andy. Because Andy is everything Cooper wants to be.

Looks like he’s an introvert.
I’m finding it weird that people are placing such lofty expectations & blame on Cooper here. He just got humiliated by a friend in front of near-strangers a couple hours prior. It’s still fresh, and this is how I would react.

I'm not sure that's the case here. By what Cooper says it seems Andy has told the story before, without any real harm done. I think the phrase "a drunk mind speaks a sober heart" hit closer to home than he wants to admit. Making Andy a perceived threat to his false self image.

Oh yeah I misremembered that bit, whoops. And I agree there, absolutely. He’ll see him as responsible for her comment.

He gay and he confused and I love him

Coop has some MAJOR daddy issues towards his own sexuality and unless he deals with his dead father's disapproval towards homosexuals and his desire to show up his dad he and Andy will never be together

Angsty douche is angsty.

Wait. Did coop get jealous of Chelsea? I hope he didn't get in a relationship with her to spite Andy and his feeling for him.

To those who continue to comment against Cooper: I'd like to point out that not everyone is a set in stone asswipe their entire life. Cooper is a product of his heart and his need for acceptance from his father being at war with each other. Cooper was denied the latter by his dad's death and therefore denies himself the latter. And unfortunately that leads him to be a jackass to the man with whom he's infatuated.

Jeez Coop needs a therapist.

Chelsea really exposed that raw nerve didn't she.

All my brain keeps repeating is "Kiss Him, KIIIIIIISS HIM!!!"

personally im rooting for them all to get together in one big polycule

The "prev" brings back two pages before ^^

Love Andy having a crush for Chelsea ^-^ cute and funny

Coop is an interesting character, I keep wondering why Andy even keeps seeing him since he never did anything for him but I hope it will evolve and there will be more reciprocity in their relation ^^

Andy feels like he has a crush on Chelsea? I take it Andy wasn't really aware of his own sexuality yet at this point.

Oh, Coop don't like that he might like Andy, so he starts to reject him. :(